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What's the story?
In a terrifyingly bizarre incident, Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac were attacked by knife-wielding motor-bikers in a car-jacking attempt on Thursday.
In case you didn't know...
Ozil and Kolasinac recently returned to the United Kingdom after Arsenal's pre-season tour in the United States. The Gunners concluded the tour on a sour note as Real Madrid broke their pre-season winning streak by securing a victory on penalties.
The North London outfit made two signings immediately after their return from the tour, procuring the services of Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos on a season-long loan and Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba.
The heart of the matter
According to the Daily Mail, Ozil and Kolasinac were ambushed by car-jackers as they drove by in the German's car along Golders Green Road at around 5 pm yesterday.
The thugs surrounded Ozil's car and threatened the players by wielding knives. CCTV footage from the scene showed Kolasinac fighting off the attackers by throwing punches while his teammate was inside the vehicle.
After he briefly managed to fend off the attackers, Kolasinac joined Ozil in the car as they sped away. However, the thugs continued to pursue the football stars in 'a high-speed chase that lasted for more than a mile.'
The teammates promptly rushed to a Turkish restaurant called 'Likya' where the staff came to their aid.
A Scotland yard spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement saying, "Police were called to NW3, shortly before 5 pm on Thursday, 25 July to reports of an attempted robbery. It was reported that suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car."
"The driver, along with his passenger, managed to get away unharmed and travelled to a restaurant in Golders Green, where they were spoken to by officers. There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue."
An Arsenal representative has also assured that the players were not harmed in the incident saying, "We have been in contact with both players and they are fine."
What's next?
Following a successful tour in the United States, Arsenal will next face Lyon in the Emirates Cup final on Sunday.
